Building It Up
by Yssa B
Summary: Not all first kisses are perfect. You often have to try and try again until you get "somewhere." Makorra, speculative post-series, fluff


"Kiss me."

Mako blinked and turned his head to her, taking his eyes away from the scenery, as if unsure she spoke. The glow of the city lights added a bright yellow to her countenance and faded into the warm brown of her skin. The bright blush on her cheeks betrayed her straight back and crossed arms, her usual confident posture.

"What?"

She frowned. "I know you heard me."

He did—he was just trying to buy time to think.

It wasn't working.

His brain stopped functioning, and it became difficult to hear Korra speak over the pounding in his ears. It was hard enough for him to invite her up to their attic, despite the many times she barged in herself _but this was special_, and he thought the rest of her visit would be spent sitting by the window and relishing the peace they helped create. Even Bolin bowed out, after hearing Mako's (barely audible) plan. It was supposed to be a nice night together.

Then, she said _that_.

"W-Why—" He coughed in his hand. "Why all of a sudden?"

Her straight stance broke. "No reason," she murmured. She didn't say how their last kiss ended too quickly and she wanted some kind of cement or guarantee that his feelings were real and all these other insecurities that plagued her. The storm passed, and all that's left is to clean up the mess.

The mess being their relationship. Though how official is one count of hand holding and several counts of intense gazing and a quick kiss and a long hug? Maybe add in some sexual tension and conversations that lasted for hours, and you've got..._something_.

"Just..." She looked at him. "...thought it'd be nice."

Nice, indeed. He remembered the shockwave that coursed his body the first time it happened—and the guilt that followed after when she interpreted his frozen state as rejection. Was she doing this because he owed her? On the contrary, he saved her hide a few times—

But no. It wasn't about owing or debts. This was about them. And if this was somehow going to work, there has to be a compromise (or maybe a "giving-in-to-emotions" is more apt).

He stood up and towered over her, and he could see the anticipation in Korra's eyes. He leaned closer—

and it was over.

Korra blinked. Mako blushed. There was a strange uncomfortable moment where his nose bumped hers, but it was quic—

"Is that it?"

He frowned, the blush reddening further. "Is there a problem?"

"Of _course_ there's a problem!" She stood up, her hands on her hips. "I definitely kissed you longer than that!" Right as Mako opened his mouth to argue, she exclaimed, "Again!"

"Again!"

"Yes!"

He sighed, exasperated, and kissed her again. He made sure he stayed there a second longer and detached himself soon after.

"There, happy?"

She glared. "No."

He raised a hand to rub his temple. "I'm doing what you asked."

"I wanted you to kiss me!"

"Which is what I was doing!"

"But you're just **kissing **me and I wanted you to _kiss_ me!"

"And you expect me to extrapolate the difference between kissing and **kissing**?"

"Yes! Now do it again!"

"Korra, I don't even understand what you _want_."

"I want you to kiss me! Again!"

"And how is what I've been doing _not _kissing?"

"Just do it again!"

He kissed her with such unexpected force that he had to hold her head with one hand and her hip with the other, Korra unconsciously angled her head to feel more of his warm fingers and coarse glove.

Then, it clicked.

Their violent mash ebbed into a gentle touch that sent a sensation trickling from their connection. They parted, just when Korra thought it hit her knees, and the tingle prevented her eyes from opening right away.

Only the distant sounds of humming electricity and a faraway city pervaded the room. For the first time, Korra saw a thin diagonal scar almost the same shade as his skin right above his right eyebrow, how his amber eyes flickered as if they were flames on a candle. Mako saw how her eyes were still bright, even if the small bags of fatigue under her eyes were the remnants of the city-wide conflict, how her nose curved into her lips. His thumb traced the smooth skin over her cheekbone.

He took his hands away, and Korra caught herself almost whining in protest. "A..." It took a second to grasp her voice. "Again," she breathed.

His hands gently held the sides of her head as his lips met hers; he had taken his gloves off as his bare palms met her hot cheeks. She tilted her head, attracted to the warmth it radiated. This time, there was no extra force or lack of emotion. It felt curious and pleasing, soft and searching, and they parted again with a small _smack_. Their breaths steadily grew heavier.

Korra's eyes barely opened. "Again."

It went on like that for a while, each kiss ending only to start again. Each built upon the previous, lasting longer and longer as time passed. They came so close that their arms wrapped around each other, Mako's around Korra's waist and Korra's around his neck. Her fingers mussed the hair on the back of his head. Then his arms detangled around her waist to languidly travel up and down her sides.

His kisses were firm, and she couldn't get enough of it. She wanted more. With feelings like these, and a _feeling _coming from the pit of her stomach, she wondered how couples stand to kiss just once. One small touch would throw Korra in a frenzy of desire. Even now it's hard to imagine unwrapping from him and leaving him just to be by herself at Air Temple Island and realizing she'd be thinking about him with every other thought—

"Oh!"

She gasped, reeling back with wide eyes. Mako's eyes darted around her face guiltily.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean—"

"N-No! It's...It's okay." She tried to calm herself. Something hot and slick grazed her lip. His tongue? That's all she could think of. Maybe it was the out of character moment when he took the initiative instead of her, and the realization made her want to burst out in fits of giggles. "It's fine. I was just surprised." She smiled and gave him another quick kiss for reassurance.

She would have given him plenty others, too, if he didn't start talking. "So." His voice was small, whispering, as if keeping it a secret from the tension that pervaded the room. "How's that, Avatar Korra?"

Korra chuckled. "Not bad."

"Not bad?" He clicked his tongue. "What does it take to impress you?"

"What? I said, 'not bad,'" she laughed, kissing him again. "Didn't think you'd be the one to do _that_ first."

Another kiss. "True." Another kiss. "This was your idea, after all." Another kiss. "Bolin's been...telling me some tips."

Korra let out another resounding laugh. "You got _Bolin_ to give you tips?"

"It's not like I wanted him to!" His blush deepened again. "You're not the one who had to listen to him talk about these really...uncomfortable things."

"I can't believe I've been kissing _Bolin's_ techniques." She slid her hands down to his chest as she gave him another short kiss. "Although, I wouldn't mind trying out some more."

"No need to rush," he told her. He lifted his hand to play with the ends of her hair, a rare peaceful smile curled on his lips. "We're young. We still have the rest of our lives to try."

Korra blinked. She never thought much about it—the future. She jumps headfirst into things and faces the consequences later. Perhaps that's why she admired Mako so much; he helped ground her.

"'The rest of our lives' sound good," she said, her hands gliding up his neck. "Why not start now?"

Mako snickered. "I should've known you'd say that."

She pulled his head towards her, not hiding her smile. "Again."

* * *

**Notes**: I love kisses. Reading them, watching them, being kissed, it's all something that my Disney-influenced childhood has made completely magical. I think the Makorra relationship is really exciting, even if it's only speculation at this point, and I wanted to contribute to the fandom with my favorite kind of fluff.


End file.
